Overview

Written for parents whose child has a heart disorder, this book provides up-to-date and reliable information from medical experts on children's heart problems. The first edition of The Heart of a Child was widely praised for helping families understand and cope with heart disorders, and many support organizations and websites now recommend this book as "must have" for families. Reflecting changes in treatment and new knowledge about genetics, as well as changes in the system for health care delivery, the text and...

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This Book

Overview

Written for parents whose child has a heart disorder, this book provides up-to-date and reliable information from medical experts on children's heart problems. The first edition of The Heart of a Child was widely praised for helping families understand and cope with heart disorders, and many support organizations and websites now recommend this book as "must have" for families. Reflecting changes in treatment and new knowledge about genetics, as well as changes in the system for health care delivery, the text and illustrations have been thoroughly updated with the latest developments in understanding and treating heart problems in children.

The second edition includes:

• New and updated information on the genetics of heart defects, including syndromes associated with heart defects

• Descriptions of new approaches to treatment, including surgery and medication

• Advice on how to deal with managed care

• Information about advances in prenatal care

• Updated list of websites, references, and resources for families

• A note to grandparents

Written by experts in pediatric cardiology from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the University of Utah Medical Center, this new edition of The Heart of a Child uses case examples, questions-and-answers, detailed drawings, and careful descriptions to explain the causes of heart disorders, how they are discovered and diagnosed, how they affect children, and how they are treated.

The overriding principle of modern treatment is to restore the child who has a heart problem to the best possible health with the minimum of tests and procedures. The Heart of a Child helps parents understand the challenges, the options, the decisions—and the many reasons for hope.

Editorial Reviews

Early Intervention

Recommended for parents and health professionals... This book describes the latest developments in understanding and treating heart problems in children. The authors... offer ways that parents and other family members can become effective partners with health professionals in the care of a child with a heart problem.

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: Mark Lewin, MD (University of Washington/CHRMC)Description: This book serves as an information source for families of children with heart disease and for healthcare professionals who wish to obtain a brief overview of pediatric cardiac disorders. The book previously published in 1992.Purpose: The purpose is to inform families of patients diagnosed with congenital or acquired heart disease about the applicable medical terminology, as well as the diagnostic techniques and medical/surgical management strategies for specific heart defects. The type of information provided here is crucial for those thrust into the foreign world of pediatric heart disease. It is crucial for families to be well informed so that they can be a vital partner in the decision-making process for their child. The author's objectives are fully met, and in fact exceeded. This book provides not only information, but also a sensitive approach to dealing with the fragile state that these families are in as they deal with a child with potentially lethal disease. Audience: According to the authors, the book is directed towards the family of a child with heart disease, but I think it is not only useful for families, but also for healthcare professionals who require a limited overview of pediatric heart disease. This group might include the nurse who care for patients of this type on an infrequent basis, pharmacy personnel, dietitians, and physical therapists. The authors are credible authorities in that they have personally cared for thousands of patients with heart defects of these types, and are recognized authorities in pediatric cardiology at national and international levels. On a more personal level, I have spoken to a number of families who have read the first edition of this book and obtained useful information and took solace in the caring way that the information was imparted.Features: The book covers the range of topics of interest to families with a child who has heart disease. This runs the spectrum from the normal cardiac anatomy and function, to the use of cardiac medications for rhythm disturbances, the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of cardiac defects, and finally to the possible explanation for particular defects in terms of inherited/genetic etiologies. One of the best features is the author's use of patient anecdotes to explain specific cardiac disorders. This proves extremely effective and allows families to connect to the information as well as their own feelings. This book is also unique in that it is the first directed towards families (in my experience) that attempts to relate cardiovascular anomalies to their genetic basis. A shortcoming may be that families with limited education may find the information overwhelming and over their heads. Althgouh every effort is made to explain the subject simply, the authors also strive to impart a great deal of information, and these two goals can sometimes be at odds. Also, the topic of interventional cardiac catheterization is incompletely explored, especially as it relates to the atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus. Families might incorrectly assume that surgical intervention for these defects is the standard of care.Assessment: This skillfully written book serves as a worthy addition to the literature on pediatric heart disease. It will prove helpful to families of patients as well as others caring for these patients. The information is thorough and is provided in a sensitive manner. Based upon the rapid progress made in the field of pediatric cardiology in the past decade since the first edition was published, it is certainly a necessary update.

Early Intervention

Recommended for parents and health professionals . . . This book describes the latest developments in understanding and treating heart problems in children. The authors . . . offer ways that parents and other family members can become effective partners with health professionals in the care of a child with a heart problem.

Library Journal

Neill and Edward Clark, professors in pediatric cardiology, along with pediatric nurse Carleen Clark, have written a reasonably detailed book for parents on heart defects and diseases in children. They outline how the heart develops in a child and show what can go wrong during the growing process. They also discuss the risk factors for heart defects, explain how heart problems are recognized, and cover treatment options. While the severity of heart problems in children is not minimized, the authors emphasize that most conditions are now treatable. Parents are reassured that none of their actions would probably have caused or prevented their child's condition. Transplantation and accompanying medical conditions with heart defects are given brief attention. Recommended for family health collections.-- Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veteran's Hosp., Tampa, Fla.
3 Stars from Doody

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Meet the Author

Catherine A. Neill, M.D., F.R.C.P., is an emerita professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Edward B. Clark, M.D., Wilma T. Gibson Presidential Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and medical director of the Department of Pedicatrics, is also the Medical Director of Primary Children's Medical Center, at the University of Utah Medical Center. Carleen Clark, R.N., is a school and public health nurse.

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